‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter
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Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as the latest reviews and features from the Head for Points team.
If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here to receive this free newsletter in your inbox every Monday. Please forward it to any colleagues who you think may be interested.
British Airways Club changes:
Why is the American Express deal to award BA tier points still a secret?
The latest UK business travel news:
Liverpool John Lennon airport to get a new 200-seat Aspire lounge this summer
IHG’s Hotel Indigo coming to Menorca in 2026, with Vignette Mallorca due this year
Air France KLM makes a €300m offer for control of Air Europa
Uganda Airlines launching flights to London Gatwick
Get £100 cashback with Leading Hotels of the World and American Express
Get up to 20% off in the Club Med Winter Sun ’26 Opening Sale
Where does British Airways fly from London Gatwick this summer?
Which airports are the winners and losers of the post-pandemic travel boom?
Where does British Airways offer ‘overnight bag drop’?
What can the British Airways ‘You First’ team do for you if you are booked in First Class?
‘Hilton for Business’ now letting you book pre-paid rates – and get 7,500 points for joining
Where can you still fly on a Boeing 747?
Stories we recommend from other sites:
Nobu Hotels coming to Manchester (Business Traveller)
First look: £36m Dakota Newcastle hotel prepares to open its doors (Boutique Hotelier)
UK set to lose another historic airport to developers as notice served (UK Aviation News)
Korean will deploy its Boeing 747-8 to Heathrow later this year (Simple Flying)
Virgin Atlantic planning air taxi service in partnership with Joby (Business Traveller)
Our latest reviews:
Conny visits the Grove at Narberth in Pembrokeshire, winner of ‘Independent Hotel of the Year 2024′ and Small Luxury Hotels’ ‘Hotel of the Year 2023’. Does it live up to its reputation?
The latest UK travel loyalty news:
British Airways launches two new ‘Avios only’ flights for October 2025 half term
Get 500 bonus Hyatt points at the new Leeds hotels
Concert updates: new London VIP event tickets from Accor, Marriott and Virgin
ENDS SOON: Get up to 60,000 points – and no fee in Year 1 – with Amex Business Gold
What is the best credit card for foreign FX spending when someone else is paying?
Get a 50% bonus when you buy Avios via Qatar Airways Privilege Club
What benefits does Heathrow Rewards Premium membership get you?
What is the difference between American Express Gold and American Express Platinum?
NEW: Get 80,000 bonus points (converts to 80,000 Avios) with Amex Platinum
American Express has launched a special sign-up bonus on the American Express Platinum Card – apply here. The bonus is increased from 50,000 to 80,000 Membership Rewards points which converts to:
- 80,000 Avios
- 80,000 Virgin Points
- 80,000 Etihad, Flying Blue, Asia Miles, Delta, Finnair, Qantas or SAS miles
- 60,000 Emirates miles
- 53,333 Singapore Airlines miles
- 160,000 Hilton Honors points
- 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- 240,000 Radisson Rewards points
- 5,332 Club Eurostar points
….. and many other non-travel rewards.
You receive 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £10,000 in six months.
The card has an annual fee of £650. You will receive a pro-rata refund if you cancel the card mid-year.
Our main article on the 80,000 points bonus is here. Make sure you read the bit about whether or not you qualify for the bonus.
You can apply for the American Express Platinum Card with the special bonus on this page of the Amex website. You may even see a bonus higher than 80,000 points as Amex is targeting some people with a different offer.
The special offer ends on 27th May.
The representative APR is 694.9% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 30.0% variable.
Head for Points receives a commission if you apply via our links – thank you.
Thank you for reading
Please drop me a note at rob@headforpoints.com with any feedback.
If you are booking a hotel this week, click here to read our summary of the best bonus points offers for March from the big chains.
See you next Monday,
Rob, Rhys, Sinead and Katie @ Head for Points
PS. If you were forwarded ‘The Travel Brief’ by a colleague, you can sign up for a free email subscription by filling in the form here.
